After heated debate the Janesville School Board decided Tuesday not to cut some freshman teams at the city’s two high schools. School Board President Bill Sodemann said he can’t cut sports that have already been planned. He said that’s not fair to kids who plan to show up for practice in two weeks. However, Board Commissioner Duwayne Severson questioned how fair is for the 5,000 students that would be affected under other proposed academic cuts.
The board adopted a proposal from Commissioner Peggy Sheridan. Instead of eliminating specific teams the school board added the estimated savings from the cutting the teams and approved that reduction instead. The athletic department is now charged with finding $80,000 worth of savings in its $1.4 million dollar budget.
Overall the school board approved a four percent levy increase for its preliminary operating budget. That number isn’t final with a public hearing scheduled for September 14th.
Beth Wheelock-WCLO
